Distribution document data or printable document data is generated by collecting images and texts used in documents as content data forming respective layouts and layouting the collected content data. In this case, necessary various processings including data collection processing and layout processing are tightly unified as one application. Conventionally, upon determination of document layout, an operator manually determines a layout using the substance of data, otherwise, manually generates a template to output those data in a predetermined layout.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,052 discloses a technique for enlarging digital images and positioning them so as to minimize blank space on a page.
In a case that various processings including data collection processing and layout processing are tightly unified as one application, the processings cannot be separated. Accordingly, it is impossible to incorporate a part of those processings into a device or a device with a small capacity resource. Further, in a case where layout information is not included, the layout processing cannot be realized without an operator's work. For this reason, layout generation requires much time and trouble, which is a factor of increase in human cost.
Further, the layouting may be performed by generating a template to output content data in a predetermined layout and outputting the content data using the template. However, in this case, as the layouting is performed with only several predetermined patterns, it is difficult to obtain a desired result by dynamically changing the layout in correspondence with the size or the like of input various content data.